The stakes of Election Day in 16 days are high, and this route means democracy.
On the bus, there was singing and cheering, and when the doors closed and the bus pulled away, that energy was on board with us. We’re riding with determination, hope, and a lot of joy. This joy is not naive — it’s knowing exactly what has come before and what’s before us now.
The riders in 1961 got on the bus because they believed their neighbors were worth the risk. It’s the exact opposite of what today’s Christian Nationalism sells.
Tomorrow the bus pulls into Richmond. After that come Petersburg, Greensboro, Charlotte, Augusta, Atlanta, Birmingham, Nashville, Montgomery, Selma, and Jackson; on October 28 we reach New Orleans, the city the original riders never reached by bus.
At every stop, we will be in historic churches, on HBCU campuses, and at civil rights landmarks, talking with neighbors about voting, two weeks before the midterms.
Every mile of it costs money: fuel, lodging, crews, and the work of showing up in each of those towns.
No time is more important for elections than these final two weeks.
If you’re able, please donate any amount to help us carry The Ride through every stop on this route, so that everyone on that bus, and everyone waiting for it in the towns ahead, knows they are not doing this alone.
